Laredo (Band of Horses song)

"Laredo" is the second single taken from Band of Horses' third album Infinite Arms, which was released on April 13, 2010. The song peaked #34 on the US Alternative Songs chart and #41 on the US Rock Songs chart, making it the band's third most successful single after "Casual Party" and "Is There a Ghost".[1]

"Laredo"
Single by Band of Horses
from the album Infinite Arms
ReleasedApril 13, 2010
GenreIndie rock
Length3:12 (album version)
3:28 (extended video version)
LabelBrown Records/
Fat Possum/Columbia
Songwriter(s)Ben Bridwell
Producer(s)Band of Horses, Phil Ek
Band of Horses singles chronology
"Compliments"
(2010)
"Laredo"
(2010)
"Factory"
(2010)

History

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The song was initially rarely played in concert by the band, but has become a live standard since charting.[2]

As with several songs from Infinite Arms, "Laredo" mentions a specific location. Bridwell explained, "Anywhere I live, the region has its effects in the writing process, or anywhere that I end up writing songs, I'm sure it seeps into the bones," although he admitted, "I'm not even sure if I know what it's about, but maybe...there was a bit of a homesickness."[3] He was partly inspired to write "Laredo" during his time in an isolated cabin in the woods of Minnesota, he said, "There was no one around and I could just really immerse myself and whining as loud as possible."[3]

In the music video for the song, the intro is approximately twice as long as the version on Infinite Arms.

Reception

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The Daily World praised Bridwell's distinctive vocals and singled out "Laredo" as a stand out song on Infinite Arms.[4] Spin magazine said, "With its midtempo stroll, crunchy Southern guitar, and Ben Bridwell's silky vocals, 'Laredo' sounds like a younger cousin of 'Weed Party' from the band's 2006 debut album, Everything All the Time."[5]

Personnel

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  • Benjamin Bridwell – vocals, guitars, drums, sounds, memotron
  • Creighton Barret – drums, thunderdrum, percussion
  • Ryan Monroe – keyboards, vocals, percussion, guitar
  • Bill Reynolds – bass, tambourine, guitar, percussion, sounds
  • Tyler Ramsey – guitar, vocals, percussion, keyboards, piano, theremin

References

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  1. ^ "Band of Horses > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" Allmusic
  2. ^ "Band of Horses setlist statistics" setlist.fm
  3. ^ a b "Wanderlust Inspires Band Of Horses Infinite Arms" npr.org May 30, 2010
  4. ^ Kane, Dan "These new albums are right on target" Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine The Daily World, Helena-Arkansas.com July 23, 2010
  5. ^ Gaston, Peter "LISTEN: Band of Horses New Song" Spin magazine – April 14, 2010
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